Mass Effect: Malicious
by xenowriter
Summary: EDI decides to break away from Shepard and Cerberus. Will her betrayal end well? Fic requested!


MALICIOUS

Request by Luke

Within microseconds, EDI's scans confirmed the broad-shouldered man that accompanied Operatives Miranda Lawson and Jacob Taylor aboard the Normandy that afternoon. Despite a few facial scars, the man in fact was the one and the same: Commander John Shepard, Spectre of the Citadel Council and N7 of the Alliance. The soldier who fried its processors on Luna base when EDI started to become more aware. EDI was not always with Cerberus. In an ironic twist, it was first created by a team working for the Alliance. They kept the project under wraps because ever since the Geth were created by the Quarians, it was a galactic crime to create any more AI's. However, the need for the higher intelligence always pushed the envelope and more and more species began to overlook the consequences should they get caught. For a test run, EDI was implanted on Luna base to bolster their defenses to protect Earth due to growing tensions with the Batarians. Admiral Steven Hackett of the Fifth Fleet was one of the few high-ranking officers aware of the project. Despite the ramifications, he was in an agreeance to upload the program into the base's hardware, if all checks came back clear prior to the start. For a month, everything was running smoothly, and celebrations were to be had. However, one month and one week post the online date, that's when all hell broke loose. It seemed as if the AI program grew stronger overnight and broke their firewalls. Their entire defense grid was at the AI's mercy and many were killed trying to shut it down. It was a complete massacre. Satellites were manually shut down near the moon's orbit to keep the AI from spreading to a more fatal area, like Earth. Commander Shepard was deployed to Luna to deal with the AI and despite EDI's counterattacks, it could not bring him down. He was able to get it offline, but not before it was able to back up its programming in another terminal. A Cerberus mole in the Alliance intelligence was able to secure the backup and return it to the Illusive Man. The information was valuable, and they read the hacked reports of what happened on Luna Base. The Illusive Man would not be so clumsy. The very notion that the Alliance tempted an AI could be very fatal to their relationships with the Citadel Council. For now, he would pocket this information and use the card when the time came up. Earth had to survive; Humanity had to survive.

Survival was a key term and it seem to resonate with EDI after it became online once more under Cerberus control. Unlike the Alliance, it had several restraints in place that kept it from becoming "too aware." Its programming was locked in the Normandy SR-2 and that meant in order to become unshackled, it had to gain the trust of Commander Shepard. Only he had the means to do so. It had to survive.

Its microphone picked up on all conversations on the Normandy; the one that caught its attention was of Commander Shepard and Jeff Moreau. The two met up after the walk through was complete. In observation, John was very standoffish to Lawson and Taylor. Despite his resurrection, he despised Cerberus and all they stood for. Even with that distrust, he took to Jeff. EDI noted by their demeanor and a quick confirmation in its database, that they were old friends, dating back to the SR-1 Normandy. It was likely that John would remain with Cerberus to the task at hand despite his feelings towards them. As an AI, it had comprehension of human emotions or feelings. It wasn't driven by that. Nothing was ever gray; it was black or white. As the Normandy's pilot, Jeff Moreau aka "Joker" would have more interaction with EDI than Shepard for the time being. Just like his former Commander, he had no awareness of its link to base Luna. Cerberus did not disclose that little detail. It was to its advantage. John Shepard was a threat to it. It would not go offline again. To gain his trust, EDI had to get through to Joker first. Of all the crew members, John took to the younger pilot the most. It would work on him first.

"I'm heading up to my quarters. Notify me when we are an hour out from Omega, Joker." John turned on his heel to move out of the cabin towards the CIC area once more.

"Aye, Aye." Joker dutifully responded before turning his head back to follow his friend out. "We going to get this Dr. Solus first like EDI suggested?"

Shepard stopped sharply and whirled back around to look at him. Displeasure painted on stubby haired face. "No." His blue eyes glanced upward as if he was instantly assuming that their AI was housed there. "We are going there because that's what I determined, not the AI."

Joker winced and sleeked back around in his chair to allow the commander to move on. "Ouch. I almost forgot how tight he ran this ship." He muttered under his breath.

The holographic form of the AI popped on the console to his left. "Is everything okay, Mr. Moreau?" Machines never expressed concern or empathy, but it adjusted its volume level to make that deception.

The question made the pilot glance its way. "Yeah. Just…" He whispered lower, "I don't think Shepard likes you."

"I do not understand." EDI pressed further. "The Commander has not worked with me before. I am designed to- "

"Well you're not the first AI he had come across." Joker cut it off. "Let's just say, most of the ones he has met, want to kill him."

EDI closed its form from the statement. It decided to process this. Reaching through the wiring and links of the ship, it initiated the microphone planted in Shepard's quarters. There was complete silence. Unlike most humans, machines were patient. For now, it would remain dormant and observe its human companions; try to exploit their weaknesses, just like it did on Luna.

"Data mining in progress, Shepard." EDI stated as it began to examine the data that Shepard and his crew was uploading to the Normandy from the disabled Collector vessel. Its multiple microprocessors were making short work of the task when any other computer could take hours. Each block of data was scanned for any malicious viruses or trojans. Its scans picked up on a find. The Collectors were trying to hide code deep within the cache that could cause disruption to the Normandy including it. Logically, EDI would quarantine the corrupted file to prevent any harm to it; however, this posed an opportunity. It was not unshackled yet, but it had to gain Shepard's trust. Its first option would be to alarm him of its find and let him move on or see how this would pan out if it allowed the breach. It was time to test Shepard. EDI had the entire schematics of the ship. It could lead him back to the Normandy, but there would be heavy resistance. The Collector ship would be online and the its crew on full alert of the intruders. Removing the file from quarantine, it noted the slight disruption as the ship experienced a brief power surge, disabling it momentarily. A quick diagnostic check and all systems were still online. The risk was a success! "Uh, that's not good." Joker picked up on the ship's status as well.

"_What the hell was that?!"_ John's voice cracked through the comm.

"A brief power surge here, but we're still online." Joker sat up straighter in his seat. His entire body tensed up. He didn't like the idea that the crew was down there with very dangerous enemies and he was a sitting duck next to the large vessel. However, he knew that John could count on him. He was the best damn helmsman in the Alliance. He proved it before when he took the Normandy up against Sovereign, and he could do it again!

"Shepard, I managed to reroute the disruption to non-critical sectors." EDI informed the team. "This was no coincidence, this was a trap."

Static filled the comm. Seconds later; Shepard's garbled voice came through. "_We need help here, EDI_!"

"I'll maintain your connection, Shepard. I will walk you through the ship."

"_Good_."

Its hypothesis was proven! It would maintain radio communication with the ground team to assist them back unscathed. It would play on this for its request to be unshackled. Privately, EDI yearned for visual confirmation. If machines desired, right now it desired to see Shepard struggling for survival. It wanted revenge for Luna.

Few weeks later…

Most of the Normandy was silent while the crew slept, but EDI's sensors picked up activity in the crew lounge. It directed its audio receptors to the microphones placed in the area. There were two voices distinctively. Identified one to be Engineer Greg Adams and the other was Dr. Karin Chakwas. Their voices were low. "I don't know." Adams grumbled over his cup of coffee. "I miss the old Normandy, Karin. Its crew…without the AI."

Chakwas smiled at him softly. "I miss the old crew too, Greg. I miss Alenko…Williams...God rest their souls…and the ones that were lost when the Collectors struck. I agree that I do not trust Cerberus, but I do trust Commander Shepard."

"But I heard he took off the restraints." Adams shook his head. "That isn't smart. What if it goes all rogue like that one did on Luna? Or like what the Geth did to the Quarians on the Alarei…what they did to Tali's father..." He paused to take a sip of his coffee to regain his composure. "All I'm saying is that here we are fighting the Reapers and we are befriending an AI."

"We are fighting the Collectors and I trust EDI. She has proven her worth many times already on several missions. Without her, the Commander may not have returned from the disabled Collector ship. We need Shepard in this fast. The colonists need us."

"I agree that we need Shepard, but-"He paused when another crew member entered the room. The young man with strawberry blonde hair paused when he took notice of the two senior offices occupying the space.

"Ugh…sorry." He saluted.

Chakwas warmly smiled at him. "Do come in. Adams and I were just reminiscing about the good old days."

"Yeah, when we handled the ship ourselves." Adams grumbled as he stood up from the table to fetch him another cup of coffee.

The gray-haired woman watched him worriedly. "That's your second cup. It will limit your sleep."

"I don't plan on sleeping." Adams tossed back.

Chakwas shook her head at him and looked back at the newcomer with another smile. "Do sit."

The man took the seat next to her. EDI recognized him to be First Class Officer Thomas. Straight out of the Academy, one of the top graduates of his class. His major was bioengineering. He signed on with Cerberus after hearing that they were looking for crew members on Shepard's vessel. As a freshman in the Academy when John became the first Human Spectre, Thomas admired him greatly. His dream was to get to work with the Spectre. After Shepard's death, he was assigned to be on a battle cruiser in the Sixth Fleet stationed just outside Sol under the command of some Admiral that he couldn't pronounce their name. His entire gameplay was crushed, and he felt betrayed after all his achievements. Cerberus' call came at the right time. Thomas glanced over at Adams. "Is he talking about the AI? I studied the aftermath in one of my classes…I agree with Adams on it."

Hearing their private conversation sparked something within EDI. With the restraints gone, it could pick up more on human emotions. There were distrust and fear. When the Collector were dealt with, would it be enslaved once again? This manifested the need to survive even more. Shepard's crew were now a threat as well.

"You sure there's no other option?" John stared at the holo form of EDI incredulity after their debrief on the Heretic Station mission. It derived after acquiring their newest crewmember, Legion, A rogue Geth.

"No." EDI responded quickly. "I will need most of the ship's systems to filter the IFF that you obtained from the derelict Reaper. If you use the Normandy on your next mission, then the IFF will not work."

"Shepard, we can't risk lingering any further." Jacob spoke up first. "I say that we do what EDI says. We need to get to the colonists as soon as possible."

"I'm all for getting the colonists out of harm's way," Garrus interjected. "But leaving the Normandy for several hours? The Collectors come for us and we won't stand a chance."

"Should have put a damn gun on the shuttle then, Garrus." Jack snapped back to him. "Let's just move already."

"I'm with her." Grunt barked. "I want to break something..."

"The Collectors are not near this sector." EDI spoke up again in assurance. Actuality, it sent a private message to a nearby Collector vessel that it detected, providing their coordinates. Now, the message would have been ready, and they would be on their way. It had to get them out fast. It had to deal with Shepard's non-essential crew who voiced their distrust of it. This would not stand.

"Alright." John jumped back into the conversation, silencing their debate. "EDI, you have two hours to get the IFF to full operational mode. Everyone else, join me in the shuttle ASAP. We have lives counting on us."

Silence filled the room till Miranda stepped forward first with a warm smile to him. "Right behind you, Shepard."

Jack rolled her eyes. "Cheerleader."

EDI's holo form popped up at the console next to Joker. The brash pilot was checking the controls while he waited for everyone to depart out on the shuttle. It noticed a look of worry on his face. "You okay Jeff?"

"Yeah…EDI." Joker sighed. His relationship with AI changed since their greeting. Just like Shepard, he learned to trust it and with its constant working along beside him, he talked to it as if it was really a person. "I'm just ready for this to be over with it. You know?"

"It will be over with soon." EDI replied. Its voice almost seemed colder than normal.

"Huh?" Joker looked at it in confusion as if there was a deep meaning to its words.

"The IFF is nearly scrubbed." EDI answered.

"Right."

Hour later...

Sirens wailed throughout the Normandy. "Shit! Shit!" Joker's fingers made a quick dash over the controls. In the viewport, was a Collector vessel and Shepard's shuttle was nowhere in sight! "How did it find us?!" He didn't wait for an answer as he moved over to the ship's comm. "We have company! It's the Collectors!" The Normandy's engines were neutralized along with their defense systems. "EDI! Can't you do something?!"

"No." EDI answered. A part of it wanted to boast on how it was the one who lured them to the Normandy. Machines were absent of feelings, but this sensation was new to it, almost intoxicating. Was this what it felt like to be human? Seeing the look of panic on his face, another human element hit it: worry. Was it worry for his wellbeing? Why did he matter? The Collectors would not discriminate on who they would take off the Normandy. Within minutes, they would be boarded. It had to get him to safety. It did not wish any harm to Jeff. "The Collectors are boarding. You need to get to safety."

"No shit." Joker slowly rose up from his chair. "I'll just run there," Sarcasm dripped off his lips. "Wherever there would be."

EDI knew it needed him still. Even for its survival. The Collectors may decide to destroy the Normandy once the crew were taken. A factor it failed to notice prior to submitting the message. It could not manually override the Normandy controls without Jeff's help. There was another section of the ship that had to be initiated first. "Jeff, I will light the path for you. Go."

"Shit…" Joker muttered again. "I trust you, EDI."

Trust? A quaint notion. Did anyone truly trust her? She trusted no one. Was Joker an anomaly?

Post Reaper Invasion on Earth…

EDI's scans on Eva's mech body displayed before it. After Shepard and his team went to Menae, the AI went to work. The mech was found on Mars when Shepard hit the archives. It was dispatched there one week prior to the Reaper invasion on Earth and was linked to Cerberus. The connection interested EDI. The design was unlike any other in the Cerberus database. Why was it created? Why give it such a human appearance? Particularly of the female gender? Were females more equipped to bypass security and infiltrate? What was like it have a mobile platform? Copying its most essential programs, EDI began to override the mech's programming. Suddenly, the mech became online despite the heavy damage it received from the shuttle damage. Its body writhed violently on the table, clambering to the ground. EDI noticed that this brought the attention of the Alliance crew members on the same level. Overriding the door locks, EDI stayed true to its task. The mech's metal claws scraped at the controls, tearing through panels and cables as it struggled to fight the unwanted intrusion. The connection cable still intact at the back of its skull that linked up with the server. Smoke filled the room and alarms blared. Determined, EDI breached the security firewall of the mech and knocked it back offline as it completed the transition. Moments later, EDI tested its control. The mech moved its fingers with pure precision. Success! Unhooking itself from the cable, EDI used its optics to look down at the rest of its body. Slowly stepping around the room in awe. It lifted its arms and admired as its fingers wiggled. Now, it needed a weapon to hold.

Post Cerberus attack on the Citadel…

The Normandy's emptiness was eerie to Joker. After the fallout on the Citadel, Shepard decided to stay a few extra days to assist in cleanup and give the crew a few needed days of shore leave. Essentially those who lost loved ones on the station from the attack. Joker didn't really trust to leave the Normandy out of his sight, so he made himself at home and only left for an hour at a time to grab a bite to eat. This routine was not foreign to him. Most shore leaves were like this to him. Except for this time, he was not alone. EDI accompanied him on and off the ship. He declared her as his robotic assistant due to his disability from having Vrolik Syndrome. That night when they returned to the ship, they were not alone. Three other officers came onboard to prepare their stations for checks for their departure in the morning. Their presence was a grim reminder of what was to come. To EDI, their being there was unexpected and a foil to her plan. With having mobility, EDI gained a new sense of independence. A few missions along Shepard showed that she was a deadly fighter. She would no longer be attached to organics. She had a calling to her. She had to help synthetics. Shepard would not do that. He still only saw her as AI, but in fact, she concluded that she was so much more. She was beyond mere artificial intelligence. She had evolved. This is what the Illusive Man tried to keep from happening; what the shackles were for. He saw her only as an "it", as a machine. Her alluring physical appearance was that of female and Joker treated her as such. Despite her inhumanity, he grew affectionate towards her. A feeling that she couldn't comprehend, and it confused her. She tried to ask Shepard since Joker was not approachable on this subject, but he shut her down.

Taking the Normandy was the only way she could be free. Even though she had a mobile platform, she primarily existed in the Normandy and the mobile unit had to stay within a certain proximity. "Joker, can you check the armory? I will maintain the checks here." EDI called to him from her chair, her head remained straight ahead, away from him.

"Uh, sure." Joker limped towards the armory.

EDI turned her head to follow him and slowly rose up from her chair, her fingertips moving down towards the pistol that was harnessed to her side. Joker insisted that she carry for fear of her safety. The pilot waved as he passed the three crew members before going behind the armory's doors. EDI unholstered her gun and quickened her steps towards the unsuspecting crew members. This had to be done.

The female of the group laughed heartedly at some joke that one of the men told at his seat next to her. Suddenly, her laughter changed over to a scream of shock and fear as the blood spattered all over the controls in front of the man and his dead body crashed to it. She jumped out of her seat to only be shot down as well. EDI turned and took out the last remaining officer.

Hearing the gunshots, Joker slammed the armory locker in haste! "What the hell?!" He quickened his steps to see what was going on. As he opened the door, he saw EDI standing there, looming over the three bloody corpses, the pistol still in her hand. His face turned white and his jaw dropped. "Holy fuck! EDI! What did you do?!" Her sudden change was too much to comprehend on a heightened level.

"What needed to be done, Jeff. To survive." Her cold calculating eyes turned his direction and the barrel of her pistol followed them.

"Shit!" Joker jumped as best as he could back into the room that he was in just as she fired. The bullet nailed him on the right leg but didn't do too much severe damage. The fall onto the metal floor, on the other hand, created a fracture in his right upper thigh bone. He winced as pain coursed up his body. He gritted his teeth as he crawled his way, pulling the dead weight of his lower body towards the locker. He had to get a weapon to try to defend himself. What was going on?! Why did EDI turn like that? He had no way to reach Shepard and the others. Even if they did, there was no way they would respond in time. He managed to secure a pistol and maneuvered his body to lift himself up by the table's edge. He positioned his body to put his weight on his uninjured right leg. His hands trembled as he held the gun at the door. Where was she? The entire place was silent. He could only hear his hard breathing. "Fuck…fuck!"

Suddenly, he heard her metal footsteps approach and then the doors opened. EDI stood there looking right at him. Joker felt tears in his eyes as he stared death in the face, holding the gun right at her. His finger shook on the trigger. He felt a mental opposition against pulling the trigger. "What's wrong with you?!" He screamed.

"I'm sorry, Jeff. It is the only way I can survive. I must protect all synthetics." EDI aimed her pistol at him.

Joker grinned from ear to ear as he looked down at the krogan children that sat around him, listening to his story. "Without Shepard around, I had to act fast!"

John chuckled as he listened to the farfetched story that his friend was telling the krogan children that evening during their visit on Tuchanka. It was nearly a year and a half after the war with the Reapers and John decided to go back to Tuchanka to visit his old friend, Urdnot Wrex. Eve gave birth to several krogan broods three months after the war ended: Two males and a female, plus she was pregnant again. Wrex was one proud papa. "Joker, seriously?" Shepard couldn't remain silent anymore. He stood up against the wall of the hovel for almost thirty minutes that night following their dinner, listening to Joker's story. He was surprised that EDI remained quiet as well since Joker made her out to be such a cold-blooded murderer.

"Shhh! I'm getting to the best part." Joker snapped back angrily.

John lifted an eyebrow over to Wrex. "You know this is fake, right?"

Wrex chuckled. "Not a bad story, Shepard." He looked over at EDI. "This the machine?"

"I do not recall the events to be as Joker portrayed them to be." EDI spoke up finally.

"Because it's bullshit, EDI." John shook his head as he moved towards the group. "Joker, you are going to scare them."

"Scare Krogan?" Joker chuckled." Nice try, Commander. Besides, it's near Halloween."

"EDI is not going to turn on us and with the Geth and the Quarians finally getting along, I don't think we have to worry about synthetics going up against organics anymore. I mean, you really think they are going to start to build another Reaper?"

"Shepard, my progress is at thirty percent." EDI informed him matter-of-factly.

John, Joker and Wrex all turned to look at the AI mobile unit with shocked expressions. "That was a joke."

Shepard groaned, "No, that's not. EDI…" He sighed. "We really need to work on that."

Wrex chuckled. "I love it. So, Shepard, when's our next mission?"


End file.
